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Newly hired Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins assistant coach Tim Army mentioned the idea of a clean slate and a fresh start several times during his introductory conference call Thursday.

Following his latest season as an assistant with the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, in which the club finished a league-worst 22-56-4 — its lowest points percentage since relocating from Quebec for the 1995-96 season — a clean slate could certainly be nice.

Army is relocating to the bench at a perennial contender in the AHL. He joins the team’s two other new hires announced Thursday, head athletic trainer Seamus

McKelvey, who held the same title for the Wheeling Nailers from 2014-16, and strength and conditioning coach Mike Joyce, a Scranton native and 2017 Marywood University graduate who interned with the team last season.

But in the same way

McKelvey and Joyce have their own connections to the team, a clean slate doesn’t mean a completely new experience for Army. His move to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton completes a full circle from his early playing and coaching days with Penguins’ coach Clark Donatelli.

Given the Providence, Rhode Island natives’ relationship and the Penguins’ winning ways at the NHL and AHL levels, Army is eager to begin his next chapter.

“I’m excited for the fit and the mix, and to be a part of an organization with a tremendous amount of a success at both the National League and American League levels,” Army said. “That’s a fun challenge, to maintain that success at the AHL level, because it’s always good for players to develop in that system because they learn from success.”

Army will try to sustain the Pens’ success alongside Donatelli and fellow assistant J.D. Forrest. It’s not the first time he’s worked with Donatelli. The two go way back. Army, 54, said he was always an age group ahead of Donatelli during their childhood in Providence, but mentioned he was a senior on the Providence Friars when Donatelli joined Boston as a freshman.

They crossed paths again when Army spent six seasons coaching the Friars from 2005-2011. That coincided with Donatelli’s time as an assistant coach; when their careers went on, Army also got to see his son, Derek, coached by Donatelli in the Wheeling and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton ranks.

“Your job as assistant coach is to be a resource for the head coach,” Army said. “You’re there to provide info. You have to be honest about it. ... Once he makes a decision, we’re all on the same page, and that message has to be consistent.

“I’m very excited to clean the slate and come into a wonderful organization, and work for somebody I have great respect for and a great relationship with.”

Contact the writer:

eshultz@citizensvoice.com; 570-821-2054

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